Putnam Impact holds recognition ceremony

By: Brandon Bush, The Eatonton Messenger

Putnam County’s soccer club recognized a few of its members last week.

Putnam Impact co-founder and director of coaching Tim Gilbert prepares to give out trophies at the club’s “recognition ceremony” last week. Unlike most banquets, the ceremony was meant to give everybody present a bit of praise rather than giving awards to a select few.

Putnam Impact Soccer Club held a small banquet, which the club referred to as its “recognition ceremony,” at Jimmy Davis Park on May 22 to honor the seasons of a few teams while also giving each member present some praise and recognition. The event featured club members enjoying pick-up games with each other and food before moving on to the ceremony.

Putnam Impact director of coaching Tim Gilbert used the ceremony to thank several people who contribute to the club’s effort.

“First off, I want to thank all who help out,” Gilbert told those present. “This club only grows because we have volunteers who contribute and help out. We also want to say we appreciate all the parents who help us out.”

Founded in 2015, Putnam Impact Soccer Club is a nonprofit organization that allows children to learn about and play soccer affordably in a positive environment that will prepare them for a successful future. The club has often been described as “a life program disguised as a soccer club” by former participants due to the club’s mission of helping young and often troubled players reach their potential while also helping them develop the skills needed to forge a good life for themselves.

Putnam Impact has been working toward helping the club grow in recent years. It is in the process of starting a new girls team as well as preparing for its upcoming soccer camp. The camp, which will run June 18-21, will be one of the first steps in the club’s new partnership with Georgia Revolution FC of the National Premier Soccer League, which will send players to assist coaches with the camp.

Rather than a traditional sports banquet, Impact’s recognition ceremony was dedicated to praising every individual member in some way in order to boost each child’s confidence and encourage them to keep working going forward. Although Gilbert made it clear that each child wouldn’t receive praise arbitrarily and that they still had to earn it, he wanted to make sure everybody got to hear some words of encouragement right from the coach’s mouth.

“It’s just a 30-second blip so that kid gets to feel some pride,” Gilbert said in a previous interview. “It’s not just their name being called and getting handed something, but it’s somebody they feel is important praising them and it does a lot for a player.”

Gilbert gave trophies to members of the Putnam Impact 08 team, who were present at the ceremony and competed in a tournament the weekend prior. He discussed the team’s season this year in which the Impact 08 team finished 7-5-3.

“We had a very young team,” Gilbert said at the event. “We played a lot of tough games and had a good season. We performed very well in our last tournament. Overall, we had a really good season and I’m proud of their performance.”

With many new doors opening for the club, Putnam Impact is growing into a more successful organization by the day. Those looking for a positive and beneficial environment to develop their child’s soccer skills might find that Putnam Impact will be a great starting point in developing the next generation of soccer talent in Lake Country.